American ban on goldfish and koi
Major rant. October 31 may be the last day stores can get goldfish and koi from suppliers outside the country. Over 90% of goldfish in stores come from out of the country because American suppliers don't have good quality or prices. This is due to a strain of disease that wild, natural carp are susceptable to and that can be carried by ornamental fish. The government is giving other countries just 30 days to comply to inspection standards.
Here's info: USDA TO PLACE IMPORT RESTRICTIONS ON LIVE FISH, FERTILIZED EGGS AND GAMETES SUSCEPTIBLE TO SPRING VIREMIA OF CARP
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2006--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to establish regulations restricting the importation of live fish, fertilized eggs and gametes of fish from certain species that are susceptible to spring viremia of carp (SVC).
The following species are considered susceptible to SVC: common carp (including koi), grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp, Crucian carp, goldfish, tench and sheatfish.
SVC is an extremely contagious viral disease of carp. Outbreaks of SVC confirmed in the United States in 2002 and 2004, and since eradicated, have been linked to unregulated importation of SVC-infected fish. This action is necessary to prevent further introductions of the virus into the United States.
This action is scheduled for publication in the Aug. 30 Federal Register and becomes effective Sept. 29.
Consideration will be given to comments received on or before Oct. 30. Send an original and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery comments to Docket No. APHIS 2006-0107, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. If you wish to submit a comment using the Internet, go to the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov and, in the “Search Regulations and Federal Actions” box, select “Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service” from the agency drop-down menu; then click on “Submit.” In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2006-0107 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov Web site and may also be reviewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. To facilitate entry into the comment reading room, please call (202) 690-2817."
The outbreaks they refer to were within supplier farms, not with wild carp. What this means to the average person is that goldfish prices are going to skyrocket as American suppliers get the advantage, and some stores have already decided that they will stop the sales of goldfish once this ban is implemented. To me it means a loss of the best genepool. Aquariums are my main hobby and a big part of my life. I plan to breed goldfish eventually and this is a big blow. American suppliers have unhealthy, poor type fish. Just like dog breeds and breeders, American suppliers ruin almost every fish they get. Importing will still be allowed, but impossible. Fish will have to be visually inspected. Goldfish and koi are rush shipped ideally in under 16 hours, but with inspections they could have to sit for days at ports waiting and dying. There is not enough water or oxygen in the packaging for a goldfish or koi to survive more than two days. Ironically, they are usually packed so securly that a visual inspection for the disease symptoms would be impossible.
